MACSI warmly welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with companies of different sizes from start-ups and SMEs to large multinational companies.
Many of the joint projects we undertake with industry result in increases in understanding of processes and productivity while reducing costs, which ultimately enhances competitiveness for our industrial partners. Some examples are listed here.
We can engage with industry in a number of different formats, depending on the scale of the challenge. Some mechanisms are listed below, but we suggest that interested parties contact macsi@ul.ie in the first instance to discuss project ideas and options.
European Study Group with Industry (ESGI)
Study groups are week-long events which bring together mathematicians and statisticians from around the world to work intensively on real-world problems. Study groups at MACSI are part of the European Consortium for Mathematics in Industry (ECMI) series, and have been referred to as "Hackathons for Mathematics". A study group can be a great opportunity for posing a small-scale project, or for a preliminary exploration in advance of a larger-scale project. A typical study group can accommodate 4-8 industrial problems, which are tackled by 40-80 researchers ranging from PhD students to professors. Irish study groups usually takes place in June/July, and the website from our 2023 event can be accessed here. Email macsi@ul.ie to find out about upcoming events or to discuss submitting a problem.
SFI Research Centres
MACSI collaborates closely with a number of Science Foundation Ireland's national Research Centres, including
- Insight (SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics)
- SSPC (SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals / The Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre)
- VistaMilk (Agri Food & Dairy Production)
SFI Research Centres bring together a critical mass of outstanding researchers to collaborate at a scale that will yield national and international impact. Among other things, these centres provide opportunities for developing projects that are fully-funded by industry or that are co-funded (where the industry contribution is matched). These projects can vary in length and offer great opportunities for hiring postdoctoral staff in particular.
Enterprise Ireland
Innovation Vouchers
Innovation Vouchers worth €10,000 are available to assist a company or companies to explore a business opportunity or problem with a registered knowledge provider (like MACSI in UL). Calls generally run quarterly. https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/research-innovation/companies/collaborate-with-companies-research-institutes/innovation-voucher.shortcut.html
Innovation Partnership Programme
The Innovation Partnership Programme can provide between 40 and 80% of the cost of research work to develop new and improved products, processes or services, or generate new
knowledge and know-how. The stipends/salaries of persons employed to work directly on the company project are eligible for EI grant support.
Science Foundation Ireland Industry RD&I Fellowship
The aim of the Programme is to stimulate excellence through knowledge transfer and training, thereby building critical mass in areas of strategic importance for Ireland and enabling economic and
societal challenges to be tackled. Fellowships can be awarded to academic researchers wishing to spend time in industry worldwide.
For example, a MACSI researcher embedded in the Food Safety Authority spent one year working on statistical modelling solutions for the authority, and improving the statistics skillset within the authority.
https://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/sfi-industry-fellowship-progra…
Secondment Model
Where an existing MACSI PhD student would be seconded from MACSI into a company for a specific length of time e.g. one year. MACSI have already employed this model with Johnson and Johnson where a PhD student spent the second year of their PhD embedded in the Johnson and Johnson facility.
Irish Research Council
The Irish Research Council runs two programmes to support Masters and PhD students to carry out excellent research in engagement with employers and other organizations. The council also runs corresponding programmes for postdoctoral researcher.
Employment-based postgraduate scheme: The scholar pursues full-time research over a period of one to four years, with dual status as an employee of the partner and a postgraduate student of the host institution:
"Through this co-funded programme, postgraduate researchers develop new, advanced knowledge and skills in an industry or employer workplace setting"
"For the employer, the scheme... provides a low-risk cost-effective route to research development and innovation in an area closely aligned with its strategic interests.
Please see https://research.ie/funding/ebp/. This scheme usually opens in October.
Enterprise partnership scheme: The scholar pursues full-time research over a period of one to four years; the enterprise partner commits €9,500 per annum towards the cost of funding the researcher.
"An enterprise partner can be a company, registered charity, social, cultural or not-for-profit civic organisation, state-owned enterprise or an eligible public body."
Please see https://research.ie/funding/eps-postgrad/. This scheme usually opens in October.
Postdoctoral programme: https://research.ie/funding/eps-postdoc/
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